Timing mechanism for planters.



I. L. DEMPSEY.

TIMING MECHANISMPOR PLANTERS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 14, 1910.

Patented Dec. 17,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0..\v,\sH1NG'r0N. D. c.

I. L. DEMPSEY TIMING'MEGHANISM FOR PLANTERS.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.14, 1910.

Patented Dec. 17,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

aftowu 3 I IRVING L. DEMPSEY, or GALENA, .MABYLAND,

- TIMING MECHANISM FOR PLANTERS.

. Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed December 14, 1910. Serial No. 597,200.

Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

' Tooll wit-0m it may concern Be it known that I, IRVING L. Dn PsEr,

citizen of the UnitedgStates, residing at Galena, in the county of Kent and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and fuseful Improvements in Timing Mechanism for Planters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its primary object iLIlclIllPlOYGd construction of timlng mechanism for check-row corn planters and has "for its object the provision of improved means whereby the time of'planting a hillmay, under the control of the operator, be

easily advanced or retarded, relative to the position of the machine/and the rate of speed at which the main drive shaft or axle is rotated. And the invention has for a still further object to simplify and other wise generally improve this classof devices and render them more eflicient in operation and commercially desirable. i

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations of the parts [that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim. I

' For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in

c I which; I s

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a corn planter embodying the improvements of my invention, a number of the parts being omitted, as they do not assist in an understanding of the essent al features; Fig. 2

is a longitudinal section of the machine on the line 2-2 of Figgl; Figs. 3 and a are detail views of an actuating lever hereinafter specifically described; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a time changing shaft employed, the section being taken substantially on thevline 6-6 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 (Sheet 1) is a detailtransverse section of said shaft on the line 77 'of Fig. 1; Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

The framework of'the plantermay be of any, desired construction ortype and in the present instance embodies'two longitudinal side sills 1 connected attheir rear ends'by a crossbar 2, a front crossbar 3, andlby an intermediate cross bar 4 which assists the cross bar 3 in supporting the corn boxes 5.

generally designated 11.

6 designates the usual groundwheels'of an implement of this character, and 7 themain' drive shaft or axle which is journaled in the framework'and to which the ground Wheels are secured. l I

I sprocket wheel 8 is secured to the drive shaft or axle 7 at one side of the framework, as illustrated in Fig; 1, and a sprocket chain 9 extends over said. sprocket wheel 8 and over. a corresponding, but preferably somewhat smaller, sprocket wheel 10 secured to i one end of a time changing shaft,which is On the opposite end of this shaft 11 a sprocket wheel 12' is secured, and a chain 13 extends around the sprocket wheel 12 and around asprooket or wheel 14 on'a transversely extending countershaft 15 journaled in the framework at about the middle thereof. Preferably, the Wheels 12 and 14: are detachable,so that they may be removed and replaced by others whenever it is desired to vary the ratio between the shafts 11 and 15. The shaft 15 carries a sprocket wheel 16 over which a sprocket chain 17 extends, said chain also extending over a sprocket wheel 18 secured to the transverse shaft 19 which is journaled inthe front of the framework and which is designed to actuate the feed" disks in the ordinary manner. I

- The shaft19 carries an arm' 20 which extends perpendicularly therefrom and 'which is designed to intermittently engage a corresponding I arm21 on the trip shaft 22 which is designed to be rocked at intervals about its longitudinal axis soas to open the shoes of the planter and drop 'the corn into the hills. The shaft 22 is returned to its normal position, after being tripped, by

a spring 28. It will thus be understood that as the shaft 19 continues to rotate in the operation of the machine, the arm 20 thereof will intermittently engage the arm 21 and rock the shaft 22, the corn being thereby dropped from the shoes at the desired regus 'lar intervals, or with thelhills vvthe desired distances, apart, this being elfect-ively accomplished withoutthe use of'forks, reel, check wire and concomitant parts usually Yemployed. Y Y i In order to mark the hills, I have provided a marker, designated 24, said marker embodying apair of side bars 25 pivotally mounted at their forward ends onopposite sides of thetongue or pole 26, and provided attheir rear ends with collars 27 in-which the upper ends of substantially vertically disposed rods 28 are held adjustably, as by set screws, as shown. The lower ends of the rods 28 are connected together by a transversely disposed marking foot. The side bars are connected together at their rear ends by a cross rod 29, the projecting ends of which constitute pins designed for en gagement by cams 30 secured in laterally spaced relation to each other on the feed shaft 19. As this shaft rotates, the cams are revolved, their cam edges riding upwardly underneath the pins mentioned and raising the marker until the shoulders 31' of the cams are reached, whereupon the marker is permitted to drop far enough for the foot to make an impression in the ground and thereby mark the row. The machine is also provided with the usual trailer or marker embodying a laterally swinging cross arm 32 carrying at its free end the trailing arm 33 and pivotally connected at its opposite end,

as at 35, so that it may lie to the left or to the right as desired in supporting arms 34, 36 forming part of a casting 37 which is secured to the tongue 26 and which also serves as the support for the arms 25 of the marker.

F or a complete understanding of the means for advancing and retarding the time of dropping relative to the position of the machine and the speed at which the axle 7 is being rotated, reference is had particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 5. The shaft 11 comprises a stub shaft 38 to which the sprocket wheel 10 is secured, the shaft 38 being connected in any desired way, preferably rigidly in or to' one end of a tubular section 39, said section extending transversely as shown and being formed with spiral grooves or slots 40 in which studs 41 are received. These studs 41 are formed on or secured to one end of a coupling section 42 which telescopes with the tubular section 39 at one end and which carries at its opposite end corresponding studs 43 working in corresponding grooves 44 on a corresponding tubular section 45 with which said lastnamed end of the coupling section 42 telescopes. It will thus be noted that if the section 42 be moved in the direction of its length and laterally of the machine, say to the left looking at the machine from the rear toward the front, the engagement of the studs 43 and 41 with the respective tubular sections 45 and 39, will relatively increase the speed of the section 45 and the stub shaft 46 which is secured to it, this increase in the speed of the stub shaft 46 advancing the rotation of the shafts 15 and 19 and the shaft 22, so as to advance the time of dropping relative to the speed of rotation of the shaft 38 and axle 7. On the other hand, a movement of the coupling shaft 42 to the right, will consequently retardthe rotation of the shaft 46 and delay the dropping operation, this complete operation being entirely under and the alinement or non-alinement of the trailing arm 33 at this time with the hills that have already been made and marked.

In order that the operator may control the movements of the time changing shaft 11, I have provided the coupling shaft 42 with a collar 47 secured thereto in any desired way, said collar being received in a chamber formed in a two part block 48, the two parts of said block being secured together by bolts, as best illustrated in Fig. 5. On one side of the collar 47 and within the block 48 are i anti-friction balls 49, designed to bear against the collar and reduce the friction which would otherwise be produced by the end thrust on the couplin shaft 42, said end thrust being in one direction only, as is evident,that is, toward the right of the machine as viewed from the rear looking forward. The block 48 carries upwardly and downwardly projecting studs 50 which are accommodated in longitudinally extending slots 51 formed in the forward forked end 52 of a shipper lever 53, said lever being fulcrumed at its rear end as at 54 on the rear cross bar 2 of the framework, to swing in a substantially horizontal plane. The tubular section 39 engages at its outer end a bearing 55 and is j ournaled at its inner end in a bearing 56, the latter bearing being an end thrust ball bearing corresponding in function and substantially in construction to the ball bear- 1 ing 48. The section 45 is journaled at its inner end in a bearing 57 and at its outer end in an end thrust bearing 58, both of these end thrust ball bearings operating to reduce the friction on an end thrust in a direction toward the left of the machine. These bearings are secured upon an intermediate cross beam 2 of the framework.

In order to actuate the shipper lever 53, the forward forked end 52 thereof is connected by a pivot link 59 to the rearwardly extending arm 60 of a horizontally disposed toothed segment 61 pivotally mounted upon a cross beam 62. The teeth of the segment 61 mesh with a curved rack 63 formed on one side of an actuating lever 64, fulcrumed atsome point on the framework convenient to the drivers seat, and capable of being held at the required adjustment by the enrant 65.

In the practical use of the machine, the

rotation of the axle 7 will drive the-shaft 11 and will consequently drive the shafts 15 and 19 to effect the continuous rotation of the shaft 19 and the intermittent actuation of the shaft 22, together with the inter-1 mittent actuation of the marker 24 as the hills are dropped. When, for example, the end of the field is reached, andthe machine is turned around to retrace the field and plant other rows in addition tothose already planted, the operator may find, when he approaches the first hills of the rows just planted, by looking for instance at the relative position of the tripping arms and 21, that the first hills which the machine will then plant will be in advance of or perhaps back of the first two hills being approached, and may then manipulate the hand lever 64 so as to shift the shipper lever 53 to the left or to the right as the occasion may require,

' first two hills planted on this row with the hills of the rows already planted. It will be noted that'this result may be very easily accomplished, and that the mechanism for attaining it is of comparatively simple construction and composed of few parts that will not be liable to get out of order and which may be cheaply manufactured and readily assembled. After the shipper lever 53 has been shifted .to the right or to the left to obtain the desired momentary in creased or decreased speed of the sprocket.

wheel 12 and the parts which it/drives, the lever may be locked in the position to which it has been adjusted, whereupon the mo- -mentary increase or decrease of speed will cease and a constant speed will be "maine tained between the axle 7 i and the feed shaft 19.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed as new is:

I The combination w1th"aframe, and a with radial projections, of alever fulcrumed on the frame in rearof the'timing shaft and provided with longitudinal slots engaging the radial projections on said shaft,a segment pivoted upon the frame, an'armprojecting fromthe pivotal point of said segment, a link connecting the free end of said arm with the free'end of saidlever, and a second lever fulcrumed upon the frame adj acent; said segment and having a curved rack at one end meshing with sald segment,

' timing shaft mounted thereon and provided said second lever being-arranged to swing in a plane intersecting'the' plane of the first-, mentioned lever.

In testimony whereof, I' affix my signa-' ture in presence of two witnesses.

IRVING L. DEMPSEY.

Witnesses:

W. N. VVoonsoN, FREDERICK S. Srrrrr;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). 0. i 

